Spelman Grad Set To Become Youngest Black Cannabis Dispensary Owner

Hope Wiseman is a 25-year-old set to become the country’s youngest black female owner of a cannabis dispensary.

The dispensary, Mary and Main, is set to open in winter 2018 in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It will offer medical marijuana in the form of a variety of products. With a medical recommendation, customers will be able to buy cannabis sativa and indica at Wiseman’s shop, as well as cannabis tea, edibles, balms and tinctures.

In an interview with the Washington Informer, Wiseman credits the war on drugs for her interest in the cannabis industry.

“I saw how the war on drugs impacted my community and I knew I wanted to be involved in cannabis to correct that,” the Maryland native said. “I started doing research in my home state and I knew that at that time there would be a bill legalized soon. The next step is an application process and they don’t really announce it, but you’ve just got to know.”

Wiseman said that once a license is awarded, a buy-in cost of $200,000 within two years of being certified is required.

“With an investment banking background I knew what I had to do and began to raise money,” she said. “I also knew I needed to get investors to go in on this with me and I partnered with my mother, who’s a dentist and another investor. From there I left my job as a Equity Institutional Sales Analyst at SunTrust in Atlanta and came back home.”

In addition to Mary and Main, Wiseman also founded Compassionate Herbal Alternative to help create opportunities for minorities who have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.

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